Guardian
by Shrouded Rose
Summary: Kagome is getting nightmares, Inuyasha is acting strange, Miroku and Sango seem to be getting close, but Naraku is nowhere to be found. Lurking in the shadows new threats sit, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
1. Nightmare

**AN: **Ok, so this is edited now and I rewrote some parts. The other chapter is in the midst of being rewritten as well so once I coomplete that I have the update all ready for you.

DISCLAIMER: This will cover the whole fic cause I know that I will forget to do this in the future. I do not own Inuyasha.

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The silver light of the moon speckled through the trees to illuminate a stone statue standing in the middle of an enclosed courtyard. Circling the statue were twelve figures. All hooded and cloaked in brown, blending in with the surrounding woods. A school girl stood, hiding behind a marble column staring with awe. Quietly at first, the figures began to chant. Gradually their noise grew louder as they went. The girl couldn't understand what it was that was being said for it was an ancient language long ago forgotten by the common people of her time.

For what seemed forever she stood there, frozen, watching them circle the statue. Breaking from her trance the girl turned her attention toward the statue. It was an angel, or it seemed so at first, but with a closer look it wasn't an angel at all. It was an elvish looking woman, with the pointed ears and the long figure. She was being dragged down to the depths of hell by its minions at her feet. Searing pain flooded the school girl's head as she realized the chanting had stopped. She fell to the ground to land on a blanket of thick purple mist.

The girl kept falling and the mist faded away to reveal the courtyard had vanished but the statue remained and glowed an eerie pale green. She looked at the statue, falling as she was, through a never-ending void. She looking into the eyes of the woman, eyes although carved in stone held a depth of hatred and anger she thought impossible for even a living person. Then the eyes glowed brighter and brighter as she stared, unable to look away. A voice rang in her head and she broke eye contact only to be greeted with horrifying images.

She paid no mind to the voice as she cried and screamed at what she now saw before her. Her friends, her family, everyone she cared about, one by one she watched as each of them met gruesome deaths. She tried to close her eyes but it was no use; she saw them just the same. Some were impaled-multiple times, some were slowly burned alive and others were mercilessly tortured.

With each person she saw perish her heart ached and cracked. When the last person came into view her heart finally shattered. The pain she felt was unrivaled to anything she had ever felt before as she watched the life seep away from the eyes of the one she loved. She screamed out his name as she kept falling. She now felt as though she were the one who had died The voice in her mind became clearer now and she could easily make out its meaning. She kept falling, her head spinning with the echoed words . . . _you will be mine . . . _

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Kagome woke with a start. Her heart was racing and she was covered in sweat. She put her hands to her heart as it felt like it was about to burst from her chest. "It was only a dream . . . yeah . . . a dream." She kept repeating out loud to herself. Around her in the clearing everyone else was still sound asleep. After her heart had calmed, she glanced across the clearing with a grateful thought to see she hadn't woken anyone up, at least no one that she could see that is.

Kagome looked up into the branches of the tree above her. She saw no movement, so she laid back down in her sleeping bag and shut her eyes tightly, trying her hardest to rid herself of her nightmare. Her thoughts were scattered as she tossed and turned, her mind reeling with the echoed words of her nightmare.

As Kagome was on the verge of drifting into fitful state of unconsciousness, a figure jumped from the tree above her. The moon bounced off his immaculate silver hair, the only thing you could make out in the middle of the night. He landed with practiced stealth and kneeled before the sleeping girl. She was still tossing and turning, and just by one sniff he could tell she was on the brink of tears. Dog ears perched atop his head swivelled and turned, listening for any sign of rousing from the others in the clearing. Hearing nothing but soft snores and the occasional grunt, he turned his attention again to the sleeping girl before him.

Letting instinct get the better of him he ran his hand across her face, sweeping her hair back and smoothing out the lines of worry etched across her forehead. She leaned into his touch, but she was still restless, just barely on the edge of waking again. Clawed hands gently took the girl and lifted her head onto a warm pillow of crossed legs as the figure rearranged himself and the girl so that he rested his back against the base of the tree while her head laid in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair, his warmth and presence finally calming the shaken girl. Just as she was passing into a more restful sleep one word passed her lips that stilled the hand in her hair, "Inuyasha."

The hanyou looked down at the girl in his arms and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Then his hand continued moving through her hair, his fingers caressing her face every so often. A sense of calmness washed throughout his body, letting him relax, the demon in him was content with his current position. He sat there, his features soft, and looking peaceful, save for the constant twitching of the little fur-covered triangles on his head. One thought his demon left going through his mind as he finally let his eyes close, "Damn right bitch."


	2. Were You Expecting Anyone?

**AN:** Okay, so I forgot a few things in my earnest to finally start my own story. Yes, this is my first fan fic, and if it's not too much trouble, if you do read this maybe you could give me some feedback. Wether you liked it or had questions or not. Tell me if you think it sucks, if I need major improvement, or if I need more of this or that. I'll even be glad to get flames cause hey, hopefully that means that you at least read some of it, right? Ok so enough of my rambling and on with the story.

" " spoken

' ' thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha . . . yet . . . sigh a girl can dream . . .

**Chapter 2**

**Were You Expecting Anyone?**

Warm rays from the sun drifted through the canopy of trees, gently waking its sleep inhabitants. Kagome rolled over and stretched, trying to clear the sleep from her thoughts. She sat up, looking around the clearing at her rousing companions.

Sango looked as if she was having trouble getting up without waking the sleeping kitsune who was currently sprawled against her stomach. Kagome held in a giggle at the sight of the demon slayer's struggle. 'Shippo's so cute when he's asleep,' she thought to herself. Kirara, having been lucky sat behind Sango, watching her human friends with large innocent cat eyes. A jingle of rings turned Kagome's attention to the other side of the clearing where Miroku had slept.

Miroku, naturally being an early riser, had started collecting wood in which to rekindle their steadily dying coals.

Kagome plopped back onto her sleeping bag, still trying to fully wake her mind. That's when it hit her. The dream, no, the nightmare she had last night came rushing through her mind at once. She had been terrified. The voice rang through her head once more as she tried to forget what it had told her. 'Why does that voice sound so familiar?' She asked herself.

She remembered trying to sleep after she had woken up. At first she was having trouble with the nightmare replaying in her head, and was almost crying again when suddenly she remembered this sudden feeling of calm and warmth. 'Was it possible to have the best and worst night's sleep in one night?' Kagome lifted her hand to her face, 'Did he -'

"Hey, aren't you guys up yet?" A very loud and rude voice interrupted her train of thought.

Inuyasha landed into the clearing with ease, bearing fish for their breakfast. As expected his responses from the others were mumbles and grumbles along the lines of how he was way too impatient.

"Inuyasha . . . "

Kagome's whisper however caught him off guard. He finished setting up the fish by the fire Miroku was tending to. He walked over to her and squatted down in front of her to be at her eye level. She looked confused, and well, slightly dazed.

Inuyasha came over to her, 'What does he think he's doing? He-wow, his eyes, they're beautiful.' Was all her mind could comprehend with his face so close to hers.

"Hey Wench, you're cooking breakfast. Come on we can't be hanging out here all day. We have shards to find." Inuyasha snapped Kagome out of her trance. With that Inuyasha jumped up disappearing into the trees.

Not only did that snap Kagome out of her trance but it also sparked the fire behind her blue eyes. "Inuyasha! You could at least be more respectful. My name is NOT Wench!" Kagome shouted to the trees. Getting nothing but a grunt in response.

Sango walked over, Shippo having been woken up by the smell of food and tried to halt the argument she knew was about to erupt.

"Kagome here, I'll roll up your bedding while you get breakfast finished, ok?" Sango suggested.

Sango got down on her knees to roll Kagome's sleeping bag while Kagome walked to sit next to Miroku by the fire, dragging her bag behind her.

Her anger forgotten at the moment, Kagome blankly stared blankly into the fire as she prepared the fish.

"Lady Kagome, I cannot speak for the others, but I am not keen to having blackened fish for breakfast."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry Miroku, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Kagome quickly salvaged the fish from the fire while Miroku watched her.

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Inuyasha watched Kagome almost burn his fish from his spot in the tree above. 'Does she remember last night? Does she remember what I did?' He kept asking himself. 'She was having a nightmare last night.' Inuyasha remembered the look on her face as she screamed out and woke up. 'She had looked terrified' One thing bothered him, if Kagome knew what he had done, then why didn't she yell at him and sit him? 'She did remember right? If not then what was that look from earlier for?'

All these questions plagued his mind as he turned his attention back to the fire and the cooked fish. His hunger won out over his stubbornness and he joined the rest of the group by the fire.

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"Something seems to be troubling you this morning Kagome." Miroku looked at her with genuine concern

"Oh, well, uhh . . . " Kagome spluttered for an explanation. 'Should I tell them? It was just a dream after all.'

Shippo put a paw on her arm when she was having trouble answering. "Are you okay Kagome?" Worry shining in his bright green eyes.

"Kagome?" Sango's voice brought her back. Her concern for her friend evident.

Inuyasha landed behind Kagome and walked to sit beside Miroku. He grabbed his fish and listened to Kagome's answer.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I just remembered that I have to go back home. I have exams coming up that I have to take." Kagome hastily replied. 'Phew, so it's not a total lie, my exams aren't for another week though.'

"What do you mean you have to go home? You're not going anywhere, we have look for jewel shards!" Inuyasha tossed the remains of his fish into the fire.

"Inuyasha! I have exams, important tests I have to take. I need to study for them. Besides these will be the last ones until after summer." Kagome said. 'That is IF I don't get stuck with summer school for missing so much'

"You can't go." Inuyasha declared.

"I can and I will. You try and stop me and I say the word!" With that Kagome turned to Sango.

Before she could open her mouth to ask the question Sango had nodded her head and Kirara had hopped onto Kagome's lap. "Don't worry Kagome, we'll take care of Inuyasha, we won't let him follow you."

"Like hell you're going anywhere!" Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome.

"I'm going"

"No, you're not"

"I am"

"Not!"

"Oswar-humph" Kagome never got to finish the word as she was pushed to the ground and pulled into a very hard chest. Kagome looked ahead of her to see a blade lodge itself into a tree, a straight path to where she was just moments before standing.

Inuyasha jumped to his feet with Kagome in his arms. He let her go and pushed her protectively behind himself while he faced the direction of the hidden attacker. 'Damn that was close. If I hadn't heard Kirara's growl Kagome would have been . . . ' Inuyasha shook his head and decided not to finish that thought.

Miroku and Sango stood on the edge of the clearing, facing the direction the arrow had come from, with Kirara in between them.

The trees before the group started to shake and fall over, until it reached the clearing. Birds and small animals were fleeing the forest before them as a man stepped into the clearing.

'I know that scent' the man thought to himself. His eyes were darkening as he entered the clearing and glared at the rag tag group before him. 'Let's see, a half-breed, a fire cat, a runt, and three humans.'

"Disgusting race." The new comer said. Everyone had their weapons in hand and was in a ready to strike position, everyone that is except for Kagome. Inuyasha would not let her leave his side to get her bow. The man stood before them with a sickened expression on his face.

Kagome studied him as his eyes skimmed their group. His eyes were a yellow bronze hue. Like Inuyasha's, only a bit darker, and they were gorgeous. His features were well defined but softened by his pale skin. His pointed ears stuck out from his cropped short dark red hair. His clothing was similar to Sesshomaru's, but his were burgundy with a gold trim on the edges of the neckline and sleeves. His armor, unlike Sesshomaru's was made of demon hides, like Sango's. He had a sword at his waist and on his back was a bow, with a quiver of arrows.

Red rose to Kagome's cheeks as she realized she was staring. 'He is quite handsome' she thought to herself, only increasing her blush. She looked away just as he spoke.

As he gazed at the scum before him, he stopped when his eyes fell on Sango. He sniffed, then stiffened. "You . . . " his icy tone was directed toward Sango. "Bitch you are gonna pay for what you did." 'I knew it was her scent. Now she's going to pay' He glared at Sango.

Everyone turned to Sango, whose face was one of complete and utter confusion. "Who are you and what do you want." It was not a question as Miroku stepped in front of Sango with Kirara going to her side.

"What? I didn't do anything." She said, "I don't even know you!" Sango exclaimed.

The demon chuckled to himself, "Surely you didn't think you would be let off that easily did you?" His laughter rang out through the tension between them. The laughter came to an abrupt halt as his murderous glare was back on Sango. "Today bitch you will pay for killing my pack!"

With that he lunged toward the group with a speed much faster than any of them anticipated. He was mere feet from Sango when a scream pierced the shock that hung in the clearing.

**AN: **Ok, sorry to leave you with a cliffy, and I'm sorry this took longer than I expected. I had it all written out and then my computer shut down on me. I am going to be gone this weekend, but after that my updates should be more frequent.

By now if you are even still reading this then I would love to say thank you. I hope you enjoyed it. It's kind of short, but don't worry, as I pick up the plot the chapters will get longer. I'll have new chapters by Tuesday.   
Until then,

SR


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